Bio
Annesa Flentje, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who focuses on reducing health disparities among sexual and gender minority individuals. Her research has targeted multiple ways to reduce these disparities including prevention, increasing visibility of sexual and gender minority people in research, and improving mental health and substance use services for sexual and gender minority people. Her current research is identifying the relationship between minority stress, substance use, and biological functioning at the molecular level (i.e., gene expression and DNA methylation). She has developed an individually delivered intervention to reduce minority stress and has investigated this as a means to reduce substance use and improve both the physical and mental health of sexual minority people. Dr. Flentje has also initiated and led several mentorship programs for scholars in sexual and gender minority health. Dr. Flentje is also Co-Director of The PRIDE Study, a prospective national longitudinal study of the health of sexual and gender minority individuals within the United States that has enrolled over 30,000 sexual and gender minority people to date.
